State Board opens 35-day public comment on rewrite of teacher certification rules

The Alabama State Board of Education voted unanimously Jan. 9 to announce its intent to repeal and replace Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 290-3-3, the section governing educator preparation, starting a 35-day public comment period.

State education officials said the rewrite is a substantial, multi-page overhaul of teacher certification rules that could return to the board for a final vote as early as the March meeting. “We now have a 35 day open comment period, that would come back before the board, possibly not at next month's meeting, but at the March meeting for a final adoption,” Dr. Mackey said during the board meeting.

The board’s action at the Jan. 9 meeting is procedural: it begins the formal public-comment phase required before an adoption of administrative rules. Dr. Mackey told the board the rewrite has been under discussion for years, that “our committee of higher ed folks and folks here at the department have done an excellent job of rewriting that chapter,” and that the draft is available for review during the comment period.

Board members who supported the motion did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting transcript; the chair called the vote and the board recorded it as unanimous. The board’s notice starts the 35-day public-comment window; officials said they will bring a final draft back to the board after the comment period and staff review.

Background: Board members and staff said the chapter has been the subject of prior attempts to rewrite it and was set aside previously; the current draft is the result of work by higher-education partners and department staff. Dr. Mackey described the task as “a huge undertaking that is many pages long.”